7. Transformation of Conceptual Models to Executable High-Level Architecture Federation Models

In this chapter, we present a formal, declarative, and visual model transformation methodology to map a domain conceptual model (CM) to a distributed simulation architecture model (DSAM). The approach adheres to the principles of model-driven engineering (MDE). A two-phased automatic transformation strategy is delineated to translate a field artillery conceptual model (ACM) into a high-level architecture (HLA) federation architecture model (FAM). The produced model is then compiled by the code generator to generate source code that can be executed on a distributed simulation runtime infrastructure. The presented mechanism is generic because the proposed abstract CM template can be extended and specialized into a domain-specific CM and transformed by adjusting the domain-specific components of the transformation rules. Generalizing from the ACM-to-FAM transformation case study, we propose a set of key design principles and an implementation framework as a step forward in achieving generic conceptual model (CM) transformations for publish/subscribe (P/S)-based distributed simulation infrastructures.